The Dark Somnium - "I Found A Strange Game Named Demis Adventure"

Episode Date: September 9, 2023

This Creepypasta scary story was written by T.J.Lea Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I put the coin in the machine. I feel the engraving beneath my fingertips, and I can tell it's from the early 2000s. The weight gives me a sense of comfort as I let it go. The satisfying sounds of the coin finding its new home, off to the land where arcade coins lay dormant. The screen lights up, fluorescent LEDs blink to life, and a wave of nostalgia hits me. Just like that, I'm taken right back to being a child again, as the title screen blinks at me. Okay, let's play. Demi's adventure was one of those games you'd hear about on various forms in the early 2000s,

back when it was far easier to spread unsubstantiated rumors and gather internet clout with minimal effort. Kind of like Twitter, but no character limit. We'd seen people like the supposed time traveler, John Titter, the legend of Polybius, and many more that run the gamut on form speculation. But Demi's adventure was a little bit different. It wasn't exactly touted as a spooky horror game with people dying or being whisked away by shady government officials. Rather, it was remarked upon by burgeoning gaming devs as the game nobody enjoyed QA testing

for because of its unique algorithm. The game that learns and plays you as much as you do it. I should mention that while there are many games in the modern age with AI and mechanics to actually pull this off in a more effective way, this was practically unheard of in the early aughts outside of psychological test games, built specifically to learn about the player and their idiosyncrasies. So it should come as no surprise that the devs would remark this was purely an experimental game that would never see a home release, but instead, a right of passage for anyone creatively inclined

to make games and wanting to see how far the programming rabbit hole goes. Casual players were never its target audience. And, over time, it became abundantly clear that more than just developers were familiar with it. By 2004, former psychiatric patients would come out of the woodwork to discuss early builds of what would be the Demi's adventure I now had in my possession. A small obsidian shape with big wide eyes, forearms, and heels on their feet that would skirt around the side-scrolling landscapes and make little chirping noises as they bounced on the

platforms or interconnected with the environment. Somehow, the interest had reached such a fever pitch within the dev communities that conversations began to swirl around a definitive edition of Demi that could be utilized by professionals to help those with major medical maladies, as it were. I remember trawling those forms in the early days as a wide-eyed, conspiracy-hungry kid eager to get his hands on a copy of this elusive game. I don't know why. It wasn't like I myself had any issues, but something about the mystery drew me in.

I followed obsessively through high school, honing my love of games into a development enthusiast and working on small indie titles that gathered mixed to positive reactions on Steam. Usually RPG maker games that allowed me to express my inner turmoil, as any man in his late 20s would do. But throughout it all, I never forgot that initial fascination with Demi, the strange obsidian creature or his adventures. So, when I got word of a cabinet being made with the definitive three-game experience of Demi's adventure, I nearly lost my shit. That was my E3 come early. The company making it, similar to one-up arcade, were enthusiastic about its design specs and the quality of the cabinet it's But I only cared about the blurb detailing the game itself.

After 20 years, a medical game now hidden behind closed doors becomes a reality for the discerning gamer and possessor of a curious mind. Demi's trilogy is coming in limited numbers. Start with the original journey, a text-based psychological adventure featuring the protagonist himself, or Obsidian Observer of Oddities. Demi, the game will learn from you as much as you from it. creating scenarios and imagery based on the progression you make. After waking up in a strange place, Demi must enlist your help to find the right path forward.

Can you help Demi get back home? Demi's adventure, land of confusion, comes with a USB slot to plug into your keyboard. Next, we have the Semino Classic that made it to multiple psychologist's office in the late 90s. A 16-bit beauty with fully rendered cutscenes and a choice system that was determined by your actions. Demi needs to find his way through the lost hallways, recover the fragments of their soul, and fight against time itself in this beautifully crafted experience. Demi's adventure too. Lastly, unreleased to the public and mastered by a dedicated development team with an oversight by medical professionals, we bring you the last in the trilogy. While it could be brushed

off as a walking simulator by the uninitiated, this is anything but. You must guide Demi through a series of scenarios, each more confusing and strange than the last, taking them on their final journey to see what is at the heart of their crash landing, the mysteries around their origin, and a way to get home. Demi's Adventure 3, Memento Mori, will shock every player and take them to a realm they've never been to before, a realm of true understanding. Guided by the higher voice, you will have a companion along the way to help you on this harrowing journey. We're sure you'll never be the same again once it's over. Because of the rarity of the initial two games, and coupled with a limited interest,

we will only be making these to order. Inquire now. You can bet your ass I put money down there and then. Dam near took me 20 minutes to find my card and punch in the numbers amid all the excitement, but I got it and was informed it'd be shipped to me within a couple of weeks. Imagine my surprise when it turned up in less than five days. It sure as hell felt like two weeks. with all the waiting, but I didn't care.

I hauled it in and had it built and ready by sundown, putting the stool in place and getting comfortable. Excitement so palpable that I didn't even register that I left my scotch downstairs. No matter, the game was here. No matter, the game was here. Now we're all caught up. Back to where this all began. Let's play.

The company logo, Rubicon Enterprises, flashes up with a little jingle, almost reminiscent of the NeoGeo. For those unfamiliar, think of a fancy doorbell on a piano scale from high to low through a Game Boy. I have no reason to, but the nostalgia hits me like a freight train. Hands brush across my metal keyboard, ready to see where this journey takes me. I don't even get the option to select which game. Usually there's a screen with three titles and their prospective logos, allowing you to

jump from A to B seamlessly. Instead, the company logo lingers, and I'm left confused. A polite, professional voice crackles through the cabinet speakers, my hand resting on the joystick with anticipation. Hello, Robbie. I am the narrator. I will be your guide throughout Demi's adventure. Think of me as an assistant for the tough sections, a third eye for the unseen, and an extra layer for the narrative. Unfortunately, even if you don't wish to think of these things, I cannot be turned off. Do you understand? Yes?

No. I blinked, taking a moment to think of how it knew my name, but the narrator continued before I could dwell on it. Why? I typed tentatively, wanting to inquire further, but knowing that even the most advanced text-based game isn't going to be perfect. To answer what I imagine is a natural concern for you, your name was registered on the purchase and programmed into me with your other details. If you'd like me to refer to you by your online username for more immersion, please push the green button. My right hand clicked it without thinking. The delicate springs barely needing to activate for the jingle to ring out.

Very well. Switch. Are you ready to begin? The adventure awaits. Yes. No. Why? I felt excited.

It was time. The screen darkens and the crude logo for Demi's Adventure, Land of Confucian. fusion slowly cascades onto the screen. For those among you not familiar with video games or those of the late 80s, imagine how slow the internet was portrayed 20 years ago when it came to loading images. The agonizing crawl of pixels forming, irritating, sure, but nostalgic nonetheless. Black screen, red text begins to fill up and the narrator starts speaking. You are Demi.

You wake up. You haul yourself out. out of your bed and see that it's already dark out. The stars seem to be extra bright this evening. Your bones feel brittle and your skin ripples to the touch. Something is terribly wrong. This is not your home. What do you do?

A small problem but nothing I couldn't handle. I typed in, investigate the house and a small jingle played indicating I made the right choice as fresh text cascaded down the screen. You walk through the hallway. It twists and undulates at your every footstep, as if it is trying to recoil from your presence. You do not understand why it hates you, or why you are in such a strange place.

You want to go home. Your horns ache to the very touch, but you try to avoid going near them. Your thoughts turn to unpleasant truths. You elect to ignore them at this stage. As you pass a bay, window, a pair of shimmering white owls flight towards you. What do you do?

The game was making choices for me already. Not something I expected, but these kind of psychological games are designed to test you, right? I took a moment to think, wondering if there was any symbolism in the hallway or the horns. Perhaps I'm a little devil in purgatory. In any case, I typed in my decision, duck down and crawl, hoping at least the first the first couple of early choices were fair. The game sent out another jingle, followed by a crashing sound. You duck down just as the owls swerve and smash into the window,

one cracking its skull on the pane like a soft egg, sliding down with a long screech as the other drops out of view. You don't know why, but you feel guilt. This was unavoidable, but you somehow bear responsibility for the damage caused. You continue to crawl along until you spy a monolith hanging upside down from the ceiling, a large ocular shape in its center. It glistens and crackles. You think it is watching you closely. There is no other exit.

What do you do? Strange. I can only imagine what the game's judgment is on me so far. Did I make a bad choice? Will I get a bad ending? Nothing for it now, I suppose. A shiny object almost always means a rare treasure, even if the risk is high, so the natural option is, steal the shape.

I type eagerly to see the outcome. The cabinet registers my response before a low, distorted boom rings out and jolts me in my chair. You attempt to get close, your spindly fingers stretching from their sockets in order to grasp the shining ocular shape within the monolith. Your mouth waters as you get closer. As your fingers wrap around enough to gain a firm grip, you feel resistance. The monolith does not wish to let you take its precious orb, its lifeblood, but you have made your choice, and so must follow through. You do not know where you are or how you came to be here, but you will commit to this action.

With a minor struggle and muffled, pained whales, you rip the lens free, and all life from the monolith secedes. It crashed down upon you, killing you instantly. The screen flashes a continue screen and red and black waiting for my input. Weird, I'd have thought going for the treasure was the right call. I hope that doesn't go against me and my score. I take a big swig of my drink before diving back in and hitting continue. You are Demi, or at least you think you are.

It's hard to tell in all this darkness. As your eyes adjust, you realize you are somewhere cold. There is a small slither of sunshine eking out from the crack under your doorway. It is warm, pleasant, and strangely lavender in its shade. You cannot dwell on this. You have to get out. You must get out before he returns. What do you do?

Did I just get to the next level? I didn't see a game over. So I guess I'd progressed in the game, in a sort of macabre way. Each problem I was faced with, I took longer to ruminate over, this time typing, search around the room, cautious not to make any sudden leaps. Now, very much feeling as if I needed to be careful. You search for any signs of escape. There are none.

You are trapped, isolated. Your breathing begins to quicken as you realize the horns on your head. head have been cut. Ugly shaven stumps lay in their place, but your phantom memory recalls their placement. You feel your chest get tighter. Your mind begins to swell. If you pass out, you will never leave this land of confusion, Demi. What do you do? I felt it. For a moment, I felt that same pang of panic. I felt my chest pull in on itself and my stomach tightened, but as quick as it hit me, it subsided, like a vice grip. I took a breath and thought of what I do on the scenario.

Focus on the light. Your eyes travel to this beautiful light rippling through the crack under the steel door. It is warm and inviting. You feel safe near it. You crawl to be next to it, slathered in its warm embrace. Your mind relaxes and you can think. You may now ask a question. Ask a question.

To who? What is this secret unlockable? A cheat maybe? All right. How do I get out? I asked, worried this was once again a trap. To my surprise, an honest answer came back. Use your fingers to pick the lock.

Demi is a skilled lock picker. But hurry, someone is coming. Footsteps accompanied a soft, low drone. as the screen waited for my input. God, it sounded so real. The sounds of echoing in the hallway are no different to that outside my apartment. Pick the lock. Demi focuses his mind and forms his fingers into the shape of a skeleton key.

With precision and cunning, he successfully picks the lock and flings the door open, basking in the beautiful light on the other side. He is slowly escaping the land of confusion, one problem at a time, But the footsteps are getting louder. E is not far behind you now. You must steal yourself. The screen goes to black, and a horrible guttural and bit-crust chuckling rips through the speakers. I can feel malice behind the voice, and while my first sense is to compliment the designer

for incorporating such an intense scene, the next instinct is that of fear. The sound of rushing text and pixels fill my screen. But first, it seems to be an error. Unstructured gibberish running wild. As it fills out, I look closer and make out the individual words. It's my name. Switch over and over again, forming the pattern of a larger letter. R U.N.

Without thinking, fingers punch in those three pivotal letters as the sound of heavy breathing and frantic running fills the speakers. More text appears. You dart down a hallway, the lights flickering behind you. He is getting close. There are several rooms lining this hallway, all carrying creatures like you. But none of them are coherent. You only hear moans and groans.

Confusion is palpable in the air, and with every moment you linger, you feel your world grow hazier. There is a fork at the end. Which way do you go? Left? Right? Straight ahead. Uh, left.

Sweat trickles down my brow. I feel like I'm being chased. You pivot on your heel to the left, the moans of those you leave behind, filling you, suffocating your ears. But you push on. You have to get out. Key hears your footsteps and begin zoning in on your direction.

You have five choices remaining. There is a disused closet on your left and a small reception room down the hall. You do not know which will be the safer route. Which do you choose? This time there is a countdown. Twenty-five seconds to pick. Sweat trickles down my head as I weigh up my options.

The broom closet is less conspicuous, but the reception room may have a lock. A reception. You barely slow down as you race to the station, hoping for it to be empty. It is not. There is a spire-like creature inside. It is terrified to see you, putting there a spire. appendages up to their sides when they see your horns. They were not expecting that. A noise erupts from them as they barrel past you and out of sight. There is a humming coming from all around you now, Demi.

They have found you. He has found you. You have four choices remaining. What do you do? Lock the door. My hands feel sweaty, clammy, and I have an urge to glance at my door behind me to ensure it's shut. I don't know why. You push the door shut as an angry voice echoes down the hall, calling your name. The humming is growing in force. You see the pencils on the desk shake and topple over. The lock on the door is set in place just as someone reaches the door and demands you come out. You have three choices remaining.

They will break through in ample time. Your actions determine your fate. What do you do? Another clock. 20 seconds. Scan the room. I'm desperate to find a solution for Demi. Something tells me the ending is not one I or he would want in the slightest.

Your horns pulse as the humming grows louder still. The coffee mug shatters to the floor and a hot, bubbling black liquid sears the ground. You look around and spy a small window on the other side of the office. You could climb out and to the exit. There is also a hypodermic needle on the table, filled with a liquid you cannot recognize. The door is being slammed against now. You have two choices remaining. Your actions determine your fate. What do you do? Thirty seconds. The slamming on the door doesn't stop, nor the droning. Naja begins to hit me in waves, stymieing my ability to focus. Do I attack

and defend myself? Do I escape? Do I wait for the inevitability of what lies beyond the door? Escape. The droning stops. Silence hangs in the air. You attempted to escape out the window, but there was not enough room for your body. You smashed the glass with your fist and climbed out, cutting yourself on the shards. Your blood trail is easy to follow, but the door is still being rammed on. They appear to not have heard the sound of your escape. Your left hand grips your wound, still bleeding profusely. Your right holds the needle you snatch as you escaped.

Your exit is in front of you, but a small creature is standing in the way. It looks similar to you. Another demi, perhaps. It has beautiful horns and its obsidian skin glistens. It does not see you. It does not appear to see anything. Your exit is only a few moments away, and your indecision will cost you a release from the land of confusion.

You have one choice remaining. Your actions determine your fate. There's a long pause. The cursor flashing as if weighing the gravity of the situation before the narrator asks in an almost curious tone. What do you do? Another clock, counting down from 45. Damn. In this moment, I can picture it.

The smaller version of Demi oblivious to the world around them. Maybe they're blind. Perhaps they're just distracted by the banging. It doesn't matter. A bloody, broken, desperate Demi is bleeding as he lurches towards them, a weapon in hand and a decision to make. I don't know what is back at that door, but every fiber in my being tells me I must escape. 30 seconds.

Am I ready to do this? What does this say about my character if I do? I know it's not real, that it's just a game, so why does this upset me so much? Why do I feel that pang of guilt and hesitancy? We kill things in video games all the time. How is this any different? 15 seconds. I know what is the right decision, but what do I do?

What would I really do in that moment? The seconds chipped away. I rack my brain to find a phrase that somehow, some way, makes for the best possible situation. Release Demi. Are you sure? Or? Yes. No.

Ten seconds. Why? I typed in more than once, hands shaking. Your actions will determine your fate. Confirm. Yes. No. Five seconds.

Why? I slammed my finger down, threatening to break it. The clock stops. There's a momentary pause. You take steps towards the unsuspecting smaller, Demi. You are determined and resolute. Your exit from the list. land of confusion is just in front of you.

They won't even feel it. The banging on the door, the droning, all of it fades as you focus on the task at hand. A quick jab of the needle into their neck and a deft push on the plunger sends the little demi into convulsions on the floor. They are freed. You push on to the exit and within a few moments of struggling, you are free from the land of confusion. A small jingle plays as the static congratulation appears on the screen, filling me with absolutely zero accomplishment. I stand up and put my head in my hands, a horrible wave of guilt

rushing through me. Pain rose from the pit of my stomach and lodged itself firmly in my chest before I pushed it back down. I looked out the window, over the garden, and observed the neighbor going about their business. Was it really getting close to dusk all? Ready? It certainly didn't feel like I'd been playing all afternoon. Switch. It is time for the second game. I jumped and spun around, looking at the screen as the logo appeared. A flashy, 90-style font with Japanese kanji underneath it. A thick red tick with flames rushing off the edges, spelling out the name of the game.

Demi's Adventure, too. Time is of the essence. Nothing more for it, I suppose. I sat down and got to be a little bit. Got comfortable, reminding myself of the Housian days of turned-base RPGs, building fun characters and losing myself in fantastical worlds for hours on end. Days would fade tonight before I even registered what was going on. Somehow that lost time was nostalgic. We open on a skyline, blackened clouds and a flock of birds flying past. There is a storm coming, and all of nature can feel its impending wrath.

The text rolls down the screen as the higher voice provides us with an ominous atmosphere to start the game. It's been two years since Demi escaped the land of confusion, going back to their homeland. The days have been lost to them. The nights bring nothing but a momentary respite. They do not know where they came from, or where they are going, but their clan have accepted them back nonetheless. Demi has been training tirelessly in order to use the Elder's secret heirloom, the Time Portal. With this, Demi can finally go back and figure out the truth behind who they are, where their memory is gone, and how to fix all of this. But, as we know, time is a finite thing, and every living creature covers it like nothing else.

So Demi must fight for what he desires. A fight that may cost him more than he realizes. The cutscene began, a stormy night situated in a strange, far-off land, lightning crackled and illuminated two individuals sitting on either side of a tatami house, the one on the right imploring with the other to see reason, though their dialogue was never shown or heard merely their physical actions. Bowing and arms waving as wild eyes pleaded, it was Demi, a more physically imposing Demi, taller,

the limbs now covered in white splotches and adorned with unusual markings, Perhaps tribal? Their left eye a pale gray and the right a luminous baby blue. Their left horn had been cut off at the top, three or four inches shorter than the other, sharper one. They looked like they'd been through hell. Their counterpart sat on the other side, much older, a graying beard hanging from their chin and down to their sternum. The mustache shorter and pointed outwards, touching the ends of their impressively long and sharp horn.

Lightning illuminated the screen again. Two imposing figures stood on either side of the elder. One, looking to be Demi's twin, reversed injuries and markings, but almost identical, save for the scar running across the side of their head. The other, a shambling man in a lab coat, bloodshot eyes and bared teeth. He looked furious, but the drooling almost gave him a docile appearance. Go out to the family grounds and arm yourself. You must defeat my subordinates, your kin.

They are your hopes, your fears, your means to an end. Do this and face me. Defeat all in your path and I will grant you the freedom to use the time portal and learn about who you truly are. Demi stood up, looking away and out the window as the heavy rain rolled in. He looked forlorn, contemplative and resolute. A fist gripped tight, and he turned back, nodding once. before walking out of the room. Just one other thing, Demi.

The elder called, putting their pipe down and opening his eyes, a bright shade of purple. You may encounter it during your battles. If you do, I suggest you hide. It is not a part of our battle or any battle. It's an embodiment of hatred and hunger. You do not want to get in its way, understood. Demi nodded and left the room. The two figures either side.

bowing before disappearing, leaving the elder to look out at the large window overseeing both the storm and, as the camera pans forward, the time portal. Now we shall see if he's ready to face the truth. He takes a long drag of the pipe, breathing out a thick plume of black smoke that fills the room as one final word escapes before the screen fades to black. Demi? Now we're on a menu screen. Demi in the center and four squares around him. Only two illuminated, that of the subordinates, while the other two are enshrouded

in darkness. If you've ever played Mega Man, you'll know the setup I'm talking about. Your choices from this point forth will determine the results of the test, switch. Remember that at every juncture you are making a decision that will impact who you are. Do you understand? Yes. No. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, knowing full well this was a psychological test.

albeit a very elaborate one. I typed Y and continued, looking over my two candidates and opting for the one on the right, hitting the green button. The Underhand. Dr. Portia was a brilliant scientist who studied many secrets of the mind, but would eventually find something within his research that drove him to unspeakable experiments. A decision was made by the elder to pacify him and keep him close, knowing his research would benefit the family,

and that his death would be a massive. loss. There is more than one way to defeat the good doctor. You will face him in his lab. Difficulty, medium. Weaknesses. Cubris. Continue? Yes. No. Why, I typed, readying myself for a showdown. The screen faded. All the boxes, and my current version of Demi made a kicking animation before darting off the screen. When the background came into view, I felt the breath catch in my throat. It was a laboratory, but a 3D rendered one, not dissimilar to the sort you'd see on an early mortal combat.

But far more detailed, people hung from the walls by great tenterhooks lodged into their pectoral muscles or the backs of their shoulder blades, a permanent look of agony etched across their faces. Women and men were strapped to tables as machines injected them with strange chemicals. Their bodies writhing and shaking as fleshed. Tor and new appendages grew from the split wounds. Pustules bubbling and popping as less and less of the person they were faded from view. It was a workshop of horror, and I was astounded that something like this made it into

a medical psychologist office. I hadn't even registered that the game was awaiting my input to walk over and start talking to the doctor. He hunched over something in the far right of the screen, rocking back and forth with a small speech bubble, showing three dots above his head. I didn't want to move forward. I didn't want to know what he was doing. While he himself was pixelated, the background menagerie of horrors was terrifying me enough

to keep me rooted to the spot. So the game decided to move for me. Demi dashed ahead and spoke to him. I could do nothing as he turned to show the fully rendered top half of a body laying on the ground, the poor soul still trying to grab at their intestines with weakness as doctor pulled a section of them up, brandishing it like a whip. It was beyond grotesque. I was so close to greatness, Demi, but you came and ruined it. Nobody else has to know what goes on here. That's why the elder protects me. That's why you have to be stopped.

Demi shook his head and pointed to the figure on the ground before pointing at the doctor. In my head, he expressed the disgust I was feeling and vowed to stop him. The screen shifted to a static laboratory background, and the battle commenced. I had the ability to attack, defend, talk, or use a special, which was grayed out. Not wanting to waste any time, I chose attack. Demi leapt into the air and smashed into Dr. Portia with a tumultuous thud, cracking him on the jaw. Small flecks of blood appeared on his face as he was. Demi returned to their main spot. He grinned and made his turn. Battle cry appeared on the

screen. That same horrific shriek from the last game rang out, less bit crushed and more twisted. The sound of deer crying in the woods with an added madness to it. Dozens of naked, faceless humanoids flooded his side of the screen, surrounding him as their long arms dragged along the floor, damaged feet barely supporting their weight. He was going to use them like a human shield. Defend. I selected, figuring a big attack was coming. Sure enough, I wasn't wrong. The feeding popped up as he shrieked for the pack of these mindless drones to rush towards Demi, quickly overwhelming him as he protected himself while they scratched, punched, and even bit chunks of his skin, tearing at the flesh before rushing away, stripping Demi's hip points by a

quarter. Special lit up, and I hovered over it, seeing a myriad of options, hidden behind a series of question marks, except one. Bad medicine. A specific special, perhaps? Clicking it, Demi ducked low and began charging. You think you're special, Demi? You're one of many that passed through our doors, and your righteous crusade to learn the truth will not stop me or the elder.

He pointed to his head. The pixelated scar crossed the side of his head. He fixed me. He can fix you, too. The procedure flashed up as the doctor pulled out a scalpel, the sharp glint complimenting his pearly white teeth before he dashed forward, slashing at Demi's gray eye, puncturing it and taking it back to their side, devouring it, recovering their lost health while Demi's drop to the minimum.

One eye looks to the past. One eye to the future. You cannot see the forest through the trees, Demi. Why bother looking for what happened to you? It's in the past. Let's keep it there. Let's keep it with me. Bad medicine activated, and Demi pulled a syringe from their pocket, filled with a strange liquid.

Lunging forward, they placed it into the doctor's scar and pushed on the plunger with bad intentions. The battle stopped, and the doctor stood in place, shuddering for a moment, a pulsing in their skull. Truth, is it what you... They gurgled before their head popped like a watermelon, blue and red chunks raining down on the lab as the lights went out one by one. You have defeated your first enemy. You allowed your disgust and anger to overcome you, but perhaps this person was beyond conversing with. The higher voice remarked, almost lamenting. Your responses thus far have been recorded.

Would you like to search for supplies? Yes. No. Why? I figured it was a waste not to try and upgrade. You never know what the next battle could bring. Demi, clutching their eye, walked forward to their remains and rummaged for supplies. You gained an eye patch. A doctor, good doctor, pick me up medicine, a black scalpel, and a strange fragment. It is a piece of something bigger. One eye patch. One, Dr. Good Doctor Pick Me Up Medicine. One black scalpel.

One strange fragment. The narrator comments on the nature of the strange fragment. It is a part of something bigger. With that, Demi ran off screen and a small cutscene played, showcasing the lab's horrific experiments slowly fading. The sickening green hue turning to a sterile white and every notion of suffering erased from the scene. Now it was simply a normal operating room.

Back at the menu, I hovered over. to the second subordinate and click the green button. The soft call of the grasshoppers and cicadas outside bringing with them a sense of wonderment, the idea of staying up far later than you should be as a child to play more video games. Despite the ugliness of some moments, this was everything I'd wanted. The shunned. A reflection of one's self is never what we want it to be. Oftentimes we look for ways to avoid the flaws we see in the mirror, the ones others see in us.

We rationalize them away with excuses, toxic positivity, or sheer ignorance. We equate any flaws of ourselves to bad vibes and refuse to recognize those problems. But our reflection does not go away. Rather, it festers, grows, and permeates through our every waking moment until we can ignore it no longer. Our Tulpa will one day come for us all, threatening to engulf all that is good within us because we didn't take the time to sit down and address it. We are now at that precipice. Demi's reflection.

Difficulty, subjective. Weakness, known. Continue? Yes. No. That was intense. I assumed this game would profile me, push me on a visual, audio, and physical level, but even the accuracy of its statements was beginning to take its toll.

I'd never been good at recognizing a problem until it was too late or required more work than I could put in. Always seemed that I'd start on one issue before getting sidetracked and working on another. A never-ending stream of problems stacking upon themselves like an emotional janga. I never knew what peace would bring the whole thing down, so I just left it. Maybe now was a good time to try to address the proverbial elephant in the room before it started trampling over everything. Why? Demi shook his head, and the glint of his eye flashed a brilliant orange for a moment, before once again dashing off screen. When he reappeared, it was a familiar home.

The furniture was different, and the wallpaper wasn't the same pattern, but I knew somehow that I'd been there, that it was my childhood home. I can't tell you how jarring it is to see something in a game you've never played that resembles something so close to your own environment. more so, when you can't fully picture the home you grew up in, but you know in your heart that this was it. Sure, it'd been over thirty years since I'd been in that house, but it was like glimpsing a dream hours after waking from it.

Only fragments remained, but the right stimuli would make it clearer. Demi's reflection sat in a chair, reading a brown book with golden gravings. It looked like a photo album. They didn't register Demi's appearance whatsoever. I pushed Demi to walk forward, and as he did, I noticed the screen began to scroll to the right ever so slightly, a little more with each tentative step. Once Demi was just a couple of steps from his doppelganger, I could clearly see what was swinging in the background.

Its shadow rising and falling across the dining room connected to the living room. A body. Demi himself took a step back and his doppelganger took notice, looking up and putting the book down before standing up and taking a long glance. set the body off screen. Couldn't handle it anymore, said the constant shifting pool of memories left him in a stygian void. He wasn't able to tell where dusk started and dawn ended.

He left a note, but I don't think you want to read it, do you? He turned to face Demi, a forlorn look in his eye while pointing back at the dining room. That's your fate if you carry on down this path, Demi. I'm the side of you that wants everything else but that. Demi shook their head, pleading with both hands. I don't think he wanted to fight, but the doppelganger took a battle stance, and that was that. Instead of hitting attack or defend this time, however, I listened to my character and hit talk. Interesting choice, switch.

If you wish to talk, lean forward and speak into the microphone. Your response will be recorded, but tried to keep it from being overly complex. Not what I was expecting, but knowing that. The purpose of this game, I acquiesced. Listen, I know you're scared of that happening to us, but there's far scarier things out there if we don't try. Of all the people to fight, you should not be one of them. I paused, thinking about the complexities and trying to simplify it down.

Join me. Fight with me. Become whole. The last one seemed to jolt something. Because the doppelganger's stance softened, their expression turned to pity, and they held their arms open, as if ready to merge. The body from the dining room dropped, and the doppelganger turned just in time to see a husk leap onto the doppelganger and clench its skull in their jaw. They resisted as best they could, arms and legs flailing for a vantage point, but like a tiger

catching prey, one sickening crunch broke through the skull, and the doppelganger fell limp. Past sins come back to haunt. Its red eyes shimmered, and I fell the distance. sensation of being watched. They slinked back into the shadows with a doppelganger in hand, Demi unmoving as they stared ahead. You gained the doppelganger spirit, double strength, double hit points, and a dose of trauma. You also acquired the second fragmented piece. Your enemy was defeated, though not by your hand.

This was unexpected, as many of life's trials can be. Your responses thus far have been recorded. Would you like to proceed? Why? Back to the menu screen. A worn down and clearly affected Demi waiting for my selection. The now ungrade option for the elder. The gatekeeper.

Long have our elders dictated the actions of the youth. Sometimes this is for righteous purposes, to safeguard them against the dangers of the unknown, to prepare them for the world with good advice and better actions. They utilize the decades of experience to stop the constant cycle of failure and pain. However, there are times where we must experience the pain of failure, loss, and the terror of the unknown. This is how progression happens. We must all, one day, cast aside our elders. For the young feast upon the old. Difficulty, absolute. Weaknesses you.

Continue? Yes. No. Why? No going back now. Demi has acquired a new sense of resolve, born from your own will to survive. Your resting heartbeat showcases a desire to see this through. Demi will now have additional powers as they face the final hurdle. No going back now. A chill ran down my spine as the higher voice said that. I think they're watching me.

The screen opened with the same scene of the Elder's Room, but Demi cannot see them. Moving along the screen to the left, a small opening can be seen behind the elder's chair. Running through it, Demi rushes down a spiral staircase before coming out on a door to their right. It is grand, and with an insignia that I don't recognize. Two basilisks intertwined, faces locked in a death stare. With a great spear skewering the two of them, unperturbed, Demi pushes open the door and runs through. A grand chamber with a well in the center greets Demi as they move across the screen. On the other side is the elder, conducting some sort of spell as this large pit comes to life.

Smoke and light coming from its steps. You burst at one of my subordinates and absorb the other. Now there's nothing to stop you but me. He puts his hands down and walks over to the edge of the wall, looking across at Demi. Your path is one of pain, ruin, and blasphemy. You spit in the face of every ancestor. This is not our way, Demi. but your resolve cannot be ignored, so we will settle this here.

Defeat me, you will gain access to the time portal. Demi said something, arms circling in a grand emotion and pointing to the well. This? This is the pit of... This is where every lost, confused soul who fails to do what they set out to do ends up. Those who did not achieve focus in life will wander here. Become a part of my asthma, of the suffering, of the Stygian void. You will end up here, too, should you fail. The elder raised his hand once again, and the well sprung to life.

A column of light sprung up and pierced the ceiling above, sending chunks of rock and ore to the ground, exposing the dismal night sky full of raging thunder and lightning. Hale rained down upon the pair, as the column's outer edges were encircled with the faces of the damned, screaming and begging for release. I could hear them over the music, the rain, the thunder, and some of them almost sounded as if they were calling, pleading to me.

The battle started, and the elder went first, attacking with a lightning bolt while talking. You think only of yourself, of your needs. You do not wish to see the sunrise tomorrow before it is even set today. Your head is filled with idealistic nonsense of what could be, not what is. I will set you right. I will cleanse you.

The bolt struck with great force. I felt a rumbling in my hands and a tingling rush up my fingers. Demi was hit for 75 HP, a third of their health. You don't know anything. You understand absolutely nothing. I found myself spitting those words with such a passion in venom. But why? What stake did I have in this other than beating the game?

Attack. Demi grabbed the dark scalpel, and, after flipping it in their hand to grab the edge, hurled it at the elder, striking them in the shoulder for similar damage. The elder dropped to a knee for a moment, pulling out the scalpel before standing up. Judgment flashed up. The elder rising from the ground and floating, arms out in a casting motion. I will not be taken by an uppity whelp who does not consider how his kin feels. Did you consider that of your mother, your siblings, me? We care too. You dishonor us all.

I'll bring you back to sense even if it takes your soul in the process. With both hands outstretched, he grabbed at the ark and began manipulating it towards Demi, sending the entire thing in his direction with such force that it temporarily covered the screen in a bright flash. When it was over, Demi lay on the ground. Motionless. No, it can't be over. I breathe, hands shaking as I held the joystick. I have to know what happens. What do I do? You have the item, switch. You just need to use it. The higher voice replied. Brushing aside what concerns I already had, the adrenaline took hold, and sure enough, I was able to select an item from the bag. Doctor, good doctor, pick me up. Once selected, a...

A small spotlight fell upon Demi and raised his limp body to the ground. A bizarre sort of angel floated down, kissing him on the lips and reviving him to full health. You will always have one person who believes in you. I love you. A soft, lelting voice broke through the speakers and I felt my lip quiver. But I knew what I needed to do. Special. Only one option was available.

Forgiveness. Demi dropped his weapons. and adopted a neutral stance, opening his arms and walking towards the elder. They fired projectile after projectile, but nothing would hit Demi. One particular volley bounced off of Demi and struck him in the face, knocking him to the ground in a heap. Demi continued to walk towards him as the elder backed away, terrified, until Demi was directly in front of him, holding out a hand and lifting him up before pulling him into a hug. I didn't need to know what Demi was saying to understand.

It was over. He forgave him. With that, the battle ended, and the elder stepped away. Back turned to Demi. I cannot deny such resolve. You show me that there is another path forward, one that I could not foresee. He threw the final fragment towards Demi and turned a tear in his eye. Love and forgiveness.

I hope you find what you're looking for. The screen was bathed and red as something began crawling. falling overhead, a scuttling of many limbs and flecks of drool dropping to the ground. The elder fell back again and looked up. Oh, it's here. Demi, you must leave. This will consume you if you let it. You will spend an eternity in the void.

You must go. Use the fragments now. Demi took a single step forward before the shriek erupted, threatening to break my speakers. Run appeared on the screen once again. This time giving me full control of Demi as something unspeakable began crawling overhead. I jerked the joystick with all the force I had to the left, and Demi began sprinting back up the stairs as this thing followed him. A video game from this era should never have been able to replicate the sounds I heard,

let alone release them for anyone to hear. This was inhuman. Before long, Demi was back at the starting screen and the grounds were overhead without thinking. I pushed the joystick up and watched him jump out as. a gnarled hand broke through the wall to grab him. Peeled skin and torn fingernails desperately tried to claw at him, but missed by a few inches. I felt sick just looking at it. It didn't fit with the rest of the game at all. The screen shifted, and Demi ran towards a large obsidian

pillar in the heart of the grounds, a large orb missing from its center. The fragments escape from his pocket and floated around him before forming a beauteous pearl that glistened in the night sky, floating up above him and inserting itself into the monolith, creating a chain reaction of sounds and light that drove whatever horror was chasing Demi away. A doorway opened up, one that I couldn't see as Demi took tentative steps towards it, before finally leaping through as one final animalistic shriek erupted from the unseen boundaries of the game. At least my initial thought was the game, but when I stepped away to stretch and try to exit

the room to grab another drink, that same scream seemed to come from outside in the hall. I couldn't tell if it was just an echo or my imagination, but there was intent behind it. Someone wanted me to hear it. I felt the urge to walk to my door, to pull the handle and investigate. With every step I took towards that sterile white door, I felt a vibration reverberate through me, growing in ferocity as I got closer, like a metal detector nearing a hidden problem, eyes. My hand gripped the door handle as the higher voice began speaking. Switch. You must complete the third and final game. The journey is not yet over.

I almost didn't want to turn around. There was a strange sound coming from down the hall. It sounded almost inviting, but something inside me pushed me towards the cabinet, and I sat down once again. Please press the button on the right side of the cabinet to unlock the immersion device. It said, as if this was something I'd naturally know about the third game. My hands felt around the side for a button I was certain had not been there when I built the damn thing. I almost felt overconfident in my assessment until my fingers brushed over a thick black button

made of a far different material to the normal arcade springy buttons on the top. I pushed it with some degree of force and heard a panel above me move around as a pair of The R goggles and a controller descended from within. For the final game, full immersion is required. Your results thus far have been recorded and will be used to ensure a smoother journey. When you are ready, please select Y on your controller. This was a bit much. Again, I sat up and paced around my room.

Unsure if this was a level of immersion I wanted, given the things I'd seen thus far. I wanted to get the full experience, but what if it was a level of immersion? were too much for me. As I paced, the game continued to flash. I heard a dull thump against my door, freezing me to the spot. Hello? Mr. Mailard? Is that you?

I called, hoping it was my elderly neighbor. I hadn't seen him in some time, but he occasionally got the apartments wrong and tried to get into mine. No answer. Another thought. This time with more force and the sound of something crunching under the pressure. Uh, hello? Are you all right?

Maybe she's having a bad trip. I mumbled under my breath, realizing it might be Sadie, my other neighbor. She was a recreational user and suffered from some debilitating mental health issues. Not a good combo. I once found her in the fetal position in our hallway, peeling her skin, and saying it wasn't the right layer to make her feel fresh enough. More thuds. The door holding fast, but shaking more with each successive thud as some of the same. Something trickled down the side and pulled on the gap between the floor and the bottom

of the door. I'm calling the police. I yelled, trying in vain to look for my phone, but realizing it was in my car. Or maybe it was at my mother's? Shit, I couldn't remember. I don't like him. He's a mysterious one. Never answers questions the same way twice.

He's a spy. They said, as their voice grew more distant. Sorry about that, Mr. Levy. We'll get this straightened out. You go back to enjoying your game. Have a nice evening. The voice was pleasant, familiar, but I had no people with which to see them and had zero desire to find out if it was another trick.

The fact they knew my name was concerning, but could they hear the game? Had they been spying on me this whole time? I turned back with suspicion in mind and looked around the room, spotting no cameras or bugs. Nothing more for it, I suppose. I'm not going outside with that mess still going on, and I have nothing better to do, so why not? I put the goggles on, got comfortable, and picked up the controller, feeling like a kid with his first Super Nintendo on Christmas Day.

I maneuvered over without any issue and hit Y, like I'd done this before. I suppose when you play games long enough, they all have a sense of familiarity, huh? The screen went blank, and I was put into a first-person perspective of Demi. laying on a grand king-sized bed with arches that stretched into the darkness as the higher voice spoke. You are Demi. It has been many moons since you escaped the land of confusion and battled for your right to the time portal. Now you are back where it all began. It is time for you to uncover the truth behind your origins, behind the fractures.

Demi's Adventure 3, Memento Mori, is about to begin. I moved my head around and used the controllers like appendages. If you've seen a VR headset, you'll know what I'm referring to. I moved my hands and inspected them, green obsidian branches with clawed hands, three on each side and sharp nails. The legs are long and muscled with large blocks for feet, no toes. I turned around in bed and observed my surroundings, total darkness. This is the second time it has happened.

The second time the glitch took effect. You do not recall the first. You were asleep, dreaming of unusual things and fantastical adventures as one is wont to do. But you were awoken by the sound of the owls at your window. On cue, I heard them. The owl was surrounding. I snapped my head up and looked towards the now-manifested window, a pair of white owls sitting on a lone branch watching me.

They wanted to check in on you. Make sure you weren't about to forget what happened. You didn't forget, did you, Demi? They grew in size. Their plumage growing brighter as the head spin and turn far beyond what they should be able to. I shield my eyes as the brightness is borderline blinding. Right as the smashing sound hits the window, a trail of blood dragging down the side as the owl drops out of sight. The right one in disbelief.

The first game, I breathed. You decided that it was time to get up and explore the rest of the night. the house. Perhaps your roommate knows more. A small checklist appeared on the right side, the main quest being speak to the gibbon, and the side quest being search for the next glitch. I walked past the window and into the darkness, the world building around me and a pathway to the door opening up. I opened it and stepped into a bright, vibrant living room full of strange antiquities, plants, and oddities. It looked like a curiosity shop nestled in the middle of a strange town, far from the tourist traps and influencer hotspots.

Laying on a banana hammock and smoking an opium pipe was the gibbon, golden fur, and a bright brown waistcoat, no tie. He seemed pleased to see me. Ah, Demi. So you found your way back here, eh? That's good. I suppose you want to find the glitch. A set of dialogue options appeared beneath him. The glitch. Where am I? And the Owls. I selected the owls. My blood ran cold when I heard my own voice speaking. I need to know about the owls, Truman. Why are they watching me again?

I sounded tired, annoyed, and younger. Truman took a long puff before answering. Because they are worried you forgot about them. They see this world fracturing and are trying in their own way to help. It's self-preservation, trying to keep the wheels turning for just a little bit longer before the engine gives out. That's why you're back, isn't it, to find the cause and to stop it? With my hands shaking, I selected, where am I? I don't recognize this place.

What's going on, Truman? You do some redecorating with my living room while I was away? This isn't my home anymore. I sounded confused, hurt almost. Truman sat up, tail holding the pipe, had a forlorn look in his eyes. It was pity. You've been away for quite some time. Demi. Plans had been made, arrangements put in place. We had to do something with the empty space.

I needed to move on. The truly terrific top shelf by Truman Totilo is a booming business. I'm sorry, Demi. He put a hand on my shoulder. There will always be a home for you, even if it's not here. Lastly, I selected the glitch. Truman hopped off his hammock, and I followed him without any input from me as he took me through the aisles of the store. Things shifting and changing at the mere touch. Artifacts would display one creature's head, and if I so much as brushed them, would show another. Things are in flux here, Demi. The world is collapsing in on itself, and through your actions, we are seeing a domino effect.

You must go back to the beginning, to that night with the owls and the chaise. You must confronts the pursuer and what has. happened as you broke free. You need to stare the beast in the face and slay it. Only then can you meet the programmer of the glitch and find out the truth. Remember, your actions determine your fate. He stopped at a large wooden door gilded in gold with large brass knockers. At the base were three slots, two circular and one in a strange pea shape. He turned, reached out a hand, and I pushed a button in response, my hand reaching up and pulling at my face. A red smear ran across the screen as my character screamed and my head throbbed, before he pulled free my left eye, a beautiful, iridescent shimmer within as Truman took it and gently inspected it, holding it

up to the light. One eye that sees only the past, remarkable. I don't wish for you to be impaired. So here. He handed me a patch with strange markings and clasps around it. It's a visual aid. You'll be able to see and identify threats much easier with this. For your troubles. Truman slotted the eye in the leftmost hole, and it rolled in place before centering on me.

The glow increasing as the door lit up and opened. With nothing else to do but progress, I stepped through as the higher voice spoke. You are back where it all began. Almost. The room is dark, and you know that there is something wandering those halls, waiting to claim you. But is it in this world, or your own? There is no way to know anymore. You must revisit your path and uncover the truth. Face your fears. I looked around the dismal room, a mattress with harnesses on all four areas of the bed, now broken. A window with thick bars across it, allowing in a small,

A small slither of pale moonlight that showcased the barren, static white room. The door to my far right barred shut, a small slot on the bottom to allow in food. This is where it began to take an interest in you, Demi. It sought you out, the things that made you special and want so badly to take them away. Its motives are unknown, and its form even more elusive. You feared it before and ran from it. We know where that ended up. The higher voice pushed me to think quickly and act even quicker.

You must face him. A deep red moon took the place of the pale light and the door swung open, showcasing a series of hulls with twisting, almost labyrinthian tunnels. Each one offering a different route. All of them bathed in the same blood red that the moon displayed. Down one hall, I heard a faint whistling. I've been waiting for someone like you to show on. Someone special, an outlier of your kind.

Someone I could spend all my time working on to further my research. His voice was sweet, dripping with arrogance and malice. Oh, I'm going to cut out those special parts, Demi. I'm going to find what makes you tick. His footsteps sped up, and a great horrible shadow rose from the far hallway to my left, twisted features and a large mouth and hands filled with all manner of sharp objects. Too late to turn back now, Demi? We all feel the pain when you get hurt. He said, I felt a small shock rushed through the controllers.

You are now locked into whatever happens, Switch. I trust you'll make the right choice, for all our sake. I couldn't let it go. Hands fastened to the controller and the threat of what would happen if I failed making me panic. Two words filled the screen. has this monstrosity inched closer. Don't run. In white, over and over, begging me to stand my ground. I will take your loves, your hobbies, your passions.

I will leave you with nothing. It bellowed, rounding the corner, has this great lumbering shape towered over the light fixtures, popping them as it stepped closer. Demi stood his ground, defiant not to walk away or hide from his fears. The beast inched closer. Sharp instruments of torture scraping the fixtures. I didn't know what to do. My legs were shaking.

My hands gripping the handles so tightly that I thought I might break them. But something urged me to stay still. A dialogue system came up. Right as this thing came into range. I could make out nothing but the things in its hands and a floating pair of dead eyes and a wide grin. What do you want? And what are you? I hit the second one.

It laughed. I am everything that you fear. I am the beast in the back of your mind, the voice you don't listen to. But you refer to me most commonly as the fog. A second option appeared. A medical check. You were part of me. Success.

You could say that. I'm a part of everyone. It just depends on if they know they've met me or not. What do you want? I want you to know me as I'm. I know you. You have fought me for so long, but I always get what I want. And I want you to accept this and make it as painless as possible.

It is that simple. A third option appeared, this time a speed check. What happens if I accept this? If we make peace, I don't want to run anymore. Then you can move forward. The pain will not be as bad, but it will get much worse. I will take so much from you, but you will in turn gain clarity and a new power for the next step. Two options appeared, accept him or refuse him.

I hit accept. The creature's grin widened, and he dissipated like a thick fog, dropping one half of a strange key as he did so. A heavy shock running through the handles and a searing pain hitting me for a few seconds until the higher voice spoke. Demi chose to accept the fog, knowing that running brought him here in the first place and that no journey is without its struggles.

Demi loses foresight, advanced motor functions, melee combat skills, and cognitive thinking, but now has the clarity to move on from the land of confusion. A door opens at the end of the hallway the fog came from,

leading back to Truman's place. I walk towards it, My steps ever so slightly out of sync, and my vision blurring has Truman greeted me. I take it you did what had to be done. I nodded, saying nothing but looking back to the door with the next slot. Ah, before you go, the shimmering one wishes to offer you a gift. I turned to see a beautiful, spherical orb, a kind voice that reminded me of home spoke to me. Hi, Demi.

I know this is going to take its toe on you, and the next part is going to be painful. I can't offer you much, but I hope this helps. Something descends from her main orb and into my hands, a device with the blue button in its center. That is all of my love and support embodied in something magical. Use it when the time is right. I love you, Demi. No matter what happens, I will be here for you, okay? I'll even make your favorite dinner when you return.

Something welled up within me. But I couldn't place what it was. I turned back to Truman and repeated the procedure, pulling the other eye free and handing it to him. A sight momentarily taken before another clasp was provided. The eye swiveled around before situating in place and the doors parting once more. I knew where I was going this time. The lab.

I stepped through and prepared myself for what I was about to see, the higher voice once again calling out in the formless darkness. This is where he first finds you, Demi. He is fascinated by your strange behavior in very existence. Should you let him, he will take away everything that makes you who you are, leaving you as nothing more than a husk in the land of confusion. You may run, but you know where that shall take you. This is everything you fear will come to pass.

You must face it. The darkness breaks, and I met what the world. a sterile white room and an old man sitting on the other side of a wall of plexiglass. He looks tired, his frame barely holding him up. Hello, Demi. It's so good to see you awaken with us. You know where you are? I look around.

The space I'm in housing nothing but a cold steel table and a slew of instruments adorning it. I turn back and shake my head, the elder's eyes glazing over and melancholy hanging in his words. It's all right, Demi. We are one and the same, you know. I was so afraid of what was happening to me that I try to impose my own beliefs and concerns onto you. I should never have stopped you from doing as you wished. But pride is a hard thing to break, you know.

He walked up to the glass and placed a hand in front of me, his legs shaking. That's going to happen soon, Demi. For me and for you. I need you to try and bear with the pain to see the forest through the trees. That will be his sunrise, I promise. As I reached out to place a hand on my side, his retracted, and he withdrew into a corner, shuddering uncontrollably as his limbs twisted and stretched. The skin bubbling and bursting hasn't multiplied exponentially, covering him until he was an amalgamated mass of flesh, rage, and sorrow.

I could barely see the soft old man underneath it, the creature shrieking and smashing all in sight out of confusion. The lights went out, and unseen hands pulled me from the spot and onto the table. I felt it. I don't know how, but even with just my hands gripping the controllers, I felt my lower back throb as I met the unforgiving steel of the operating table. Psychosomatic, maybe? Demi, show up. Something slithered down from a corner of the room, limbs smacking against the wall like the

skittering of a great insect. I heard mandibles click and hot breath on my face. forehead. How did I feel the breath? What the hell was going on? The shimmer of a sharp blade passed my eyes and ran the length of my abdomen as the unseen voice giggled. One of us. The entire screen flashed red. My hands cramped up and I gritted my teeth and agony as Demi began to split open with this blade. Strange contents lifted out of the ribcage and dropped into a metal container with a sick, wet thud. Sense of nobility, Anne.

He retracted the blade and forced a gloved hand inside, pulling around until he wrapped deaf fingers around his prize. Rrenching it free has blood splattered across the wall opposite. I felt like I was going to pass out. A small, living demi curled up in his hands as he unceremoniously dropped it into the bucket, which was now threatening to overflow. You sit tight and play nicely with your cellmate. He began walking away and opened an unseen door, pausing. I couldn't see the face, but I could feel the malicious stare bearing down on me as he exited the room. The higher voice spoke, my ears ringing from the pain, though this time it was in third person.

Demi knew that the trial had just begun, but staying here a moment longer was certain death. He fought valiantly against the pain, faced his fears with his elder, and allowed him to take what he wished to take. But now, now was the time to heal, the time to stitch it all back together and to move forward. A suture kit appeared in front of me, my hands freed and shaking on the screen as I gripped them tightly and followed the instructions, pushing the strange contraption through the skin and letting it dance its way around the wound, finding where to puncture and tighten the silver thread. As it finished, it snapped in half and the threads tightened significantly. holding me upright with a start.

Demi stood up and with renewed purpose walked to the mirror. Only one task remaining in order to gain the key and move to the final part of their journey. I did as instructed, but as I sat upright, the environment changed. I was in a bathroom walking towards the sink where a set of items were laid out and a mirror waited for me, opened to a sea of medication and remedies. Instinctively, I pushed the door shut and nearly screamed as I did. It was me, my face staring back at me, a 3D rendered version falling into that uncanny valley state. His expressionless face just gazing, waiting for me to do something.

I blinked, he blinked. I craned my neck up to find the scar on my chin. He had the same thing. I noticed his age must be in his late 40s or early 50s. Why didn't he look like me now? I rotated my skull around until the edge of my neck felt like they'd buckle under the pressure, the strain making my nerves twitch. His did too.

What the hell? I breathed. His mouth moved, awkward and janky, as the jaw flapped around, and the tongue lulled in the fleshy cave that was my mouth, trying to find ways to connect the syllables. The higher voice started speaking as the lights in the bathroom flickered. Demi realized that the dementia. he'd stepped into was no longer his own. Rather, he was peering through a mirror into another world.

A world inhabited by you, Switch. Demi does not know that this is you. He does not have the ability to see past the existing universe of which he is within. He is part of something so big, but is completely unable to see it. Demi will live and breathe within the sandbox created around him, blissfully unaware of such realities converging on him, save for this peak behind the curtain. Demi's adventure is agonizingly close to being over, to being understood. But great strides are only made with greater sacrifices.

The mirror fogs up and something is written in the condensation. Memento Mori. The light shot off and the world is plunged into darkness. The higher voice continued. In order to take the very final part of the key, you must see things for what they are, what they always were. The lights flickered, and in the mirror I could spy two owls. Their necks turned and the wings wide open, flooding the room with fluorescent light.

My face grinned, but I didn't. My hands, Demi's hands, moved without my control. They gripped either side of the cabinet, and the head reared back before colliding with the glass with the glass. Sickening crunch. The glass fractured, and as I pulled back, skull throbbing in the real world and blood pouring down the screen, the owls were gone. In their place was a large monolith, its obsidian sheen glistening as the bright orb pulsated in its center.

Another smash. I heard something break and a soft squelching sound. I pulled back and nearly screamed. One half of my face was my own, a maniacal grin ripping across my face and blood smearing the features, staining my teeth, a dent in my skull stretching from the ear to the eyebrow. Freedom. The other half was Demi, confused, terrified, and clearly in agony. He looked like he was desperate to escape, to get out. He was pulling at the skin, pushing to separate the flesh that bound him to my doppelganger. I felt a horrible burning on my face and the

sounds of screeching until I saw nothing but red. The game notified me with an audio cue that I'd acquired something in my inventory, but I was in no position to check. White text filled the screen. I reached out a bloodied hand and grabbed something in front of me. In an instant, the pain stopped, and I was looking up at Truman, holding his hand. You had a pretty nasty fall when you got here, dummy. Everything all right?

His hazel eyes were warm, a friendly concern. I nodded, a pair of text chats appearing. What do we do now? And, is there anything else I should do first? I selected the latter, getting to my feet as Truman climbed to his hammock and smoked his pipe. Huh, you surely see the shimmering one. She says she has something for you. She's just outside in the midnight fountain.

Mind you, don't bother the toads. He called after me as I turned on my heels and maneuvered my way through the menagerie, A sea of complex colors and oddities became blurry as I focused on the task at hand. Something told me I had to speak to her, something primal. I checked my inventory and noticed what I was now holding. It read, a remnant of who you are. It was in the shape of a pea, one half to be precise, spines dangled down the sides of it and lines caressed the top.

Nothing for it now, I had to keep focused. I followed the reticule and pushed open a pair of French doors, a beautiful glow temporarily blinding me as I put my hands up to shield my eyes. When I opened them, I could have damn near cried. Have you ever walked into a room and felt like you were in a place you'd been to before, but clearly had never experienced? A living dream, if you will. As I took one barefoot step in front of the other, I felt the cool black sand between my toes.

small stones glinting up at me. I looked down and saw the expanse of path lay out in front of me. Beyond this small single trail of black sand to mark my path was a clear bottom, beneath of which was a bird's eye view of the cosmos. Above sat a lavender sky with slivers of radiant light punctuating through the clouds in an almost heavenly beauty. I knew where I was. I knew where to go.

Emotions I'd long since pushed down with. within me, rushed to the surface, and lodged in my chest. Big words I'd forgotten how to articulate came into my mind, but vanished before they could escape my lips. All I could do was walk to the end of this path. At the end of the winding path sat the shimmering one. She was clad in beautiful vestments, her features obscured from view, but undeniably familiar. I somehow knew this woman was family, but was unable to place it.

You kept it on you, didn't you? She asked, soft tones filling my ears and sending my emotions into overdrive. I nodded, looking down at my hands and seeing that I'd pulled her gift from the inventory. Push the blue button. I did and saw a photo appear in front of me. A young, happy demi, arms draped over a pair of people laughing just as hard, sat on a beach of black sand, a dark sun in the sky. Large birds flapped in the background while we chuckled without a care in the world, our necks draped in shark-tooth necklaces. Do you know who they are, Demi?

It took me a moment, but I knew the girl was the shimmering one. I pointed to the photo, then to her. She trembled, her composure glitching for a second before returning to its normal form. It's funny how some days can feel so long ago but yesterday all at once, isn't it? That photo was years gone by, but it's still so present for me. I love photos. I can jump into it and feel like I'm really there. But you can't, can you, Demi?

She takes the item gently from my hands and holds it close to her chest. The floor beneath us shakes and the view pans to that same beach rapidly coming into focus. But this time, there is no black sand, no dark sun or large, birds. I saw the younger me, sitting on a beach on a pier, I knew all too well. The guy on my right was chattering away, but I couldn't make out his face. It was a pale, jumbled mess, like someone scratched away the discerning features, and what was left was a confused blur. When I looked to the right, I saw the young woman. I again felt that pang of familiarity. It increased tenfold when I kissed her and saw her stomach grow bright.

It's time for the curtain to rise, Demi. Time for you to open the door. I hope that you'll see what I see. What we all want you to see. I love you. The view from below panned back, and the shimmering one rose into the sky, glowing brighter and brighter. Soon she looked down at me, at Demi. I couldn't see her face, but I knew she was smiling.

Her glow reached a magnificent apex, and she shattered into a million pieces. Soft, iridescent rain of who she once was cascading down. And all I could do was cry. Cry for a reason that was so far beyond me that I had no earthy idea what for. The game made a noise, and I realized I'd picked up something. It read, a shard of who you were. The other half of the P symbol. Combined together, it made a clicking sound and formed the master key.

It was in the shape of a brain. Back at the door, exhausted and confused, I felt resolute to finish the journey. In the real world, I could hear knocking and a gentle pleading from an older voice to be let in, but I paid it no mind. The journey had to be finished. Walking back to Truman, he was swinging upside down by his tail as I approached him. He flipped himself upright and gestured for me to sit down. I take it this is your last conversation, yes.

I nodded, waiting for the game to register. He looked forlorn. I see. Well, while you only have fleeting moments with me, it's been a pleasure knowing you. I hope by the end of this you'll come to appreciate me in the same way. Good luck, Demi. Momentumori. He outstretched a palm and I took it, shaking vigorously before pulling him in for a hug.

It somehow felt right. He is outside. You must finish this, switch. I seized up. I was still hugging Truman and he was still whispering. He wants to stop you from remembering, from making a choice. You must see this through. Good luck.

He pulled away and his animations returned to a scripted format, walking over to the grand door and waiting for me to join him. I sat there in disbelief, hands shaking, and the voice of someone at the door growing impatient, storming off to find someone who will open this bloody door. I made my way over and passed the final key, watching it insert into the lock before lighting up. A gorgeous blue hue ran through the seam of the door, illuminating every part of the frame before it creaked open, waiting for me to go through.

Goodbye, Truman. Thank you. I muttered, feeling silly, talking to an NPC. But something in the game must have registered the first word because he bowed deeply and replied. Farewell, dummy. it's time for your adventure to end. Outside, I can see the sun is going down. Time is running out.

Blinding lights, an impact of ringing in my ears, blackness that cuts to a highway in the middle of the countryside. I'm barefoot. My skin feels like fire, and the rain is acidic as it touches me. Something on me is bleeding, but I cannot place where. A pair of flashing lights stops short of me and pulls a blanket over me. They ask me questions, but I cannot understand them. Maybe it's the ringing, the speed of their dialogue.

A tree has been uprooted behind me as they talk. My attention goes to it. I see a car in the embrace of the root. Metal lovingly wrapped around the bark in a forbidden embrace. Something is smeared on the bark. Sap? No. It's broken through the windshield.

I see now. The light has now faded. My legs give out, and I fight the fog long enough to scream. Blackness returns, and I awaken in a stale room. Voices congregate at my bedside, then outside the door. The older voice wishes for stability, the younger for choice. I don't know who they are, but the younger man is calmer and more reserved. I like him.

I can no longer tell if this is in my room or in the game, but it does not matter. Someone shows me a chart with markers on the head. I do not understand, even when someone helps me. It simply looks like abstract art, and I shrug. They seem concerned. One of the men in a thick lab coat grins at me when he thinks the others aren't looking. The one with the elder voice winks at me. He looks hungry.

His features stretch and twist the longer I stare, and the pupils dilate to the point where all light is blotted out. The more scared I get, the more it fuels him. I don't like him. I want him to go away. Night falls, and I find a way to get out of my bed. The door is left ajar, and I run on instinct. I want freedom.

I need freedom. I do not care what the cost is. I reach a hallway and see the exit, unmanned and without obstacle. But as I prep my feet to run, a television in the room adjacent to me turns on, and the higher voice speaks. Hello, Robbie. Could you come over here for just a moment? Something in me obliges, and I walk over. Static blasting through the screen as the voice continues.

You can take off the goggles, if you like. It may be best if we have this conversation face to face. Now the game is at its end. Don't worry. You'll have a little bit more to do when I'm done. I did as instructed, and my eyes stung from the soft light of the arcade cabinet. The natural light from the outside along. since passed. Looking back at me was a kind but tired man in his late thirties. His black hair

already graying at the edges and a thick beard wrapped around his face. Must be a nice way to keep warm. It's good to see you, Robbie. It looks like we're reaching the end here. Both in the game and with your ability to keep playing it. He looked so sad. Was this live? I can still play, sir. I'm not off the far end, right? I didn't want him to think I'd let him down. Not if this was his game that he made for me. His face fell even more. Ah, Robbie. You don't even remember how you got the game in the first place.

Do you? I blinked. I tried to think back. Didn't I get it from a sale? Maybe it was one of those weird websites? Robbie, it's all right. We can still do this before that final bit of daylight fades. I just need you to listen carefully.

Can you do that? "'Sure. What do you need?' I asked, hearing some furtive conversations on the other side of my door, doing my best to leave them out. Robbie, I made this game for you. You were always an amazing individual with a vivid imagination, and when we were growing up, you constantly talked about your aspirations to make this into our reality. He said it had helped so many people and entertain so many more, but you never got the chance to.' His lip quivered, but he soldiered on. So, I took up the task. I made this to help you remember, and to help you make a choice.

You made it clear once that if ever anything like this would happen to you, but you wanted to make your own choice. What do you mean? I'm fine, aren't I? I protested, flexing my arms and legs to double check. Robbie, how old do you think? I think you are. I scoffed and answered, knowing full damn well how old I was.

I'm 32. Why? I could see something in his eyes. A tear, perhaps. He cleared his throat. Robbie, you're 43. I felt the pit in my stomach contract. I had no mirrors to look in, but something rang true in his voice.

He continued. This game was full of ways to remind you of who you are and what happened. to jolt you back into remembering before he shows up to take you. Robbie, there are bad people who want to shove you into a dark room and pick at your brain to find out how you got the disease. I'm your brother. I know you don't want that. The voices at the door got more frantic, panicked. They started hitting the door.

It sounds like you listened to the instructions of the beginning and lock the door, but you probably don't recall. No matter. We must proceed. Robbie, if you want your way out, then you need to put the goggles back on and finish the game. You'll be met with a choice, and if you choose to finish the adventure, you'll go to sleep, and you won't wake up. The cabinet is filled with gas, and when pressed, it'll activate. Choose to continue the adventure? Well, you'll find out what the men on the other side of the door want.

He cleared his throat, emotions overcoming. him. I wish I could comfort him, but I barely knew the guy. It's time. The choice is yours. It has always been yours. Whatever you decide, I love you. We all did.

The screen shut off and I felt compelled to take the headset to finish what I'd started. I wish I could tell you all that my memories came flooding back, that everything I saw makes sense now, and I understand every bit of what the game was telling me, but I don't. With every passing minute, I feel my grip on the world grow more fragile. The fog grows ever thicker, and less of me is here to fend it off. I feel tired, weary, like I'm stretched too thin and wrapped too tightly. I think it's time to end the adventure, don't you? Something is screaming at the door. It sounds almost inhuman with the way it slams its weight against the frame, expletives ringing out and scaring the neighbors. It must be a demon. No matter, I'm resolute in my choice. I played Demi's adventure. I got out of the land of confusion.

I made my choice. Momento Mori, indeed. I put the coin in the machine. I feel the engraving beneath my fingertips, and I can tell it's from the early 2000s. The weight gives me a sense of comfort as I let it go, the satisfying of the coin finding its new home, off to the land of where arcade coins lay dormant. The screen lights up, fluorescent LEDs blink to life, and a wave of nostalgia hits me. Just like that, I'm taken right back to being a child again, as the title screen blinks at me. Okay, let's play.